Fight Plan
by Oh-no-she-di'ent
Summary: Luke and Lorelai have a conversation about something, and all seems fine. But really, when has Lorelai ever been fine about anything? Pre-hookup. Rating is T..story is complete.


**Disclaimer**: If I were the queen of the world, GG would still be off limits to me. Entitlement would still go to Amy Sherman-Palladino. Because she rocks.

I'm back, guys. In April, I squeezed in a story on the 30th because I didn't like having one story a month. And how does one fix that?? Skip a month. That's much better. I, of course, didn't plan on that happening BUT as one of our country's more intellectually inspired slogans imply: shit happens.

_Anyway, _for over a week, I've been busy writing. This is the first of THREE. I'm still working on the others, so I'll post them as soon as I finish. All will be out by the end of June. That's right, I've put myself on a deadline. And I **will** make it. Because I am super motivated and...willing to sacrifice sleep. After this month is up, there will follow, my contribution to the 'Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda' LL ficathon. That'll be posted sometime after the 7th. So if you're going to get sick of me, do it now. For those of you who don't know what the LL ficathon is, I'll elaborate. Robbinpoppins and Filo77 have put together this fabulous GG project. They've accumulated writers--one for every episode of the first season. And in each of those episodes, the writer will have to find some way to get the 2 L's together. Many writers signed up. All episodes of season 1 have been assigned, and I managed to snag one! _Go me! Go me! _I'm so happy to be taking part in this, and I can't wait to see what each writer comes up with. I've been seriously slacking on my fiction reading, but I will make it my business to read these posts. All of these will be pre-RR and as you all know, that is soooo my cup o' tea. It'll be like x-mas!

Getting to this story: Luke and Lorelai have a conversation about something, and all seems fine. But really, when has Lorelai ever been _fine _about anything?? That brings me to issues I had with season 7, but we won't go there! The story takes place in season 3 b/c Rory is still in hs. Lorelai has the Dragonfly, which is _sorta _just understood. It's not a big deal, but just know it's true. And I believe the rest of is non-questionable AU material. It _is _complete. So...read and Enjoy!!

**Fight Plan**

Luke pulled down on the plastic runner of his umbrella.

He stumbled onto the porch steps and dropped it to the wooden surface.

"Look how useful that turned out to be," he mumbled to himself as he inspected his wet sleeves and pant legs. He pushed the umbrella away with his foot, then proceeded to stomp his feet one after another, the noise echoing across the rain soaked yard. Hardly any of the water left the ankles of his jeans. "Jeez," he whispered in complaint just as he abandoned the effort.

He neared the door. It was pulled open before he had a chance to knock.

Lorelai stopped in the doorway and a smile lighted her lips. "Were you planning to knock or did you think that you'd fi fie fo fum your way inside?"

Luke's head went to the side, and his eyes foretold of the vexation there. "Do you really think that making fun of me is the way to go right now?"

"I can't control where my road map leads me."

He was tired, and it showed. He shook his head left to right in resignation. "You really have to do something about that," he replied in earnest.

Lorelai scanned his damp clothes and sympathy ran across her features. "We probably could have waited to do this on a day that's a little less wet, huh?"

Luke waved away her trepidation. He was there now. "It's just rain. I'll live," he pronounced flatly.

"Good to hear it." She stepped aside and gestured for him to come in the house. "Thanks for agreeing to come," she said as he passed by her.

"Didn't really have much of a choice," was his unenthusiastic reply. "Rory here?" he asked as he slipped out of his coat.

Lorelai walked from the foyer after securing the door. "Nope. She has to stay late at school, so I'll be picking her up in a couple hours." She moved by Luke who stood next to the sofa. "And," she began again as she sat comfortably on the couch, "You always have a choice. You could have said _no_." She shrugged. "I mean I understand that this is a little uncomfortable."

Luke lifted a brow, considering that briefly. "Not for me."

Laughter from Lorelai showed the doubt on her part. "Well, it's not uncomfortable for _me_," she said pointing to herself defensively.

"Why does that not surprise me?" he asked.

She smiled, choosing to ignore his words. "Well, if neither of us is affected by this, then I guess there's no reason for this," she said gesturing between them.

He turned to walk away. "Okay, well that's meeting adjourned." His brows arched high. "You'll be in the diner later?" he asked, making his way to the door.

Lorelai watched him for a moment, not fully believing he was really going to leave. "Yes, I'll be in later," she answered. She turned in her seat. "And Luke?"

He stopped and looked over his shoulder at her. "Yeah?"

"Sit."

Lorelai knew what he was about to say before the words were formulated. "Now I'm a dog?" he asked on cue.

She stood. "Sorry." Her arms spread at her sides. "I usually have treats on hand before jumping right in the orders. Keeps enthusiasm high." She squinted her eyes in apology. "Can you _please _sit?"

He turned fully, his body sagging. She walked to the other end of the sofa and gestured for him to sit where she had been. He parked himself on the edge of the cushion and looked at her. "Okay. Ready when you are," he replied. His words were confident. In actuality, he had no recourse for where this was headed.

Lorelai dropped down with a deep sigh. She crossed her legs and tucked her hair, gathering her thoughts. Both hands went to rest in her lap, and she appeared formal. "What you heard...today..."

Luke waited for continuance but found himself doing that in vain. "Yeah...?"

Lorelai smiled, as she had lost her train of thought. "...was um...not supposed to be heard," she finished.

He rolled his eyes. "Well, I _figured _as much."

"_And_..." she continued stressfully as if he'd interrupted fluent speech, "I don't want you to take it out of context. It was just Sookie and me having a little uh--"

"What would taking it out of context entail?" he asked casually.

She looked at him blankly for a moment before her eyes widened knowingly. "It would mean..." She paused. "...exactly what I said," she ended uncomfortably.

He thought. "Oh." He looked at her, suddenly forming relaxation from her discomfort. "So, that would mean that you would _want _to--you and I--" He linked his fingers and broke them apart instantly, a smile tugging at his lips.

She narrowed her eyes at him, wondering if he had started to goad her. His being pretentious would just make her abandon this discomposure and would almost demand a flip in the script. And she most certainly would win in that reversal. He'd recoil faster than a viper after it'd made its kill.

But she decided against it. She'd let him have his moment. This sudden mood of his was better than gruffness that would be harder to work with.

"Look Luke," she continued. "I just wanted you to know that I didn't mean it okay?"

"You didn't mean it?" he repeated like a statement. She paused, as his tone seemed leading. With hesitancy, she nodded, yes. Luke shrugged thoughtfully. "You didn't mean it," he said again slowly, "but you _did _say it."

She bit her lip as she watched him carefully. Rotating her bottom on the sofa, she leaned on the back of it and regarded him. "Is there something that you want to say?" she asked.

He shook his head with lifted brows. "Nope. Nothing."

"I'm not backtracking," she defended anyway.

"Didn't say you were."

"Because there's nothing to backtrack _from_."

"So I hear."

Lorelai felt a building of nerves. "This is ridiculous. There's not even a reason for this conversation."

"You initiated it. _You _insisted I come over."

"I did that for your benefit. You're the one whose face mirrored a fireball."

"No big deal. Just shock. Walked in at the wrong moment apparently."

"I didn't mean it," she said again.

"Burrowing that point through to China, I see."

"Stop talking like that!" she snapped. Luke being cool and collected was throwing her far off of her game.

"How am I talking?"

Her words beat out her better judgment. "Like you have the upper hand."

"I wasn't aware that there was an upper hand to be _had_."

She put her palm out to him. "Please just be quiet for a second."

Luke took a breath and made himself comfortable on the couch. Lorelai used that time to get her mind on the right track again. As it was, she was falling while yanking and yanking on a stubborn pull cord. Her mind slipped back to earlier that day in her inn. She saw herself gulping from a cup that failed to give her that _Luke's _blend kind of satisfaction. She and Sookie were conversing. Then immediately she heard the words spewing forth. _'Luke. Without question, I'd have sex with Luke.' _And at that exact moment, there appeared Luke, standing in the doorway. Because why _wouldn't _Luke appear in the damn doorway?

He pretended to not have heard anything when it was so obvious he had. For the duration of his visit, they ignored that poor elephant. He went back to the diner, and Lorelai finished work at the inn. When she went in for lunch, Luke wouldn't make eye contact. There went the final straw. Lorelai called for a meeting to clear the air.

This was the meeting.

"What are you thinking right now?" she asked quietly.

Luke paused. "Oh, I'm allowed to speak?" came his smart reply.

She closed her eyes briefly. Those few seconds of quiet had done nothing to aid her in gathering her thoughts. Before Luke arrived with his cool, annoying air, she had a plan to remain detached to the whole occurrence. She would treat it with minimal importance. That was the _plan_. "Seriously Luke. What are you thinking?"

"Nothing."

"You have to be thinking something."

"I'm not thinking anything. You said it didn't mean anything, so it didn't mean anything."

"So you believe me?"

"You've never given me a reason not to trust what you say, so yeah. I believe you."

A smile showed. "Good."

He nodded. "So, the air's clear, right?"

"Fog free."

"Can I ask you a question?"

Lorelai's lips spread wide in discomfort. "I thought the air was clear."

"It is. I just..." He shrugged. "Mind if I ask you?"

Lorelai shook her head but answered differently. "Uh...suuuure."

Luke smiled in response. "You can relax. It's not anything crazy."

"Promise?" she asked hopefully, as if she now _needed _him on her side in this whole thing.

"I promise," he said confidingly. He smiled wider as he watched her relax.

"Okay, ask away."

With sudden nervousness, he asked, "You guys don't just...sit around talking about me, do you?"

Lorelai smiled. "No. We don't."

He released a large sigh in relief. "Good," he whispered as he looked away.

Lorelai's eyes rested on him for the longest moment. "I'm sorry," she said. He looked at her. "I'm sorry about what you heard me say, Luke. It was inappropriate, and I shouldn't have--." She sighed. "I really don't think of you like that." His eyes widened in offense. Lorelai caught it. "I mean, not that you aren't...worthy of being thought of like that...but it was just girl talk--or not really girl talk, it was a hypothetical situation. And you _won_. But I just need you to know that I _am _sorry. I'd hate for you to think I keep you around for eye candy or something."

Luke was amused. Her ramble had taken him there, and he sat with a quarter of a smile on his lips as he regarded her. Finally, he responded. "Don't worry, I'd never think that." He accentuated 'never' in a way that had Lorelai focusing on him in question. Not finding rest, her eyes shifted in thought.

"And I--I say that because we're _friends_," she said seriously. "And I really value that _friendship_." She paused. "Not because of anything else," she ended.

He nodded and sat up straight, moving past everything. "Yeah, I know."

"Okay. So, everything between us--?"

"--is fine. Consider it in the past," he said lightly. Luke didn't lie. His expressions never lied. Lorelai knew that a declaration of conformity meant just that. So that answer should have placated her.

"Thanks," she said with gratitude. She was aware of how bad it could have gone. Lorelai took a deep breath, looking around as her thoughts skidded. Her smile was uneasy when she looked at him. "This is good. This is good we did this."

He nodded. "Yep."

"So you agree?" she asked fast. "You agree that it's good we did this?"

He narrowed his eyes in question. "That's kinda why I said...'yep'."

She nodded again. "Okay. Good, good." Her head continued to move like a bobblehead doll. "Because if we didn't do it, _then _it would have been weird. But we did do it, so the weirdness is...ancient history. Poofed away. Like...uh...like magic...or something."

Luke's eyes never left her. "You're starting to scare me a little bit," he stated.

She drooped a little as she laughed. "I'm starting to scare _myself _a little bit," she commented.

"Then just calm down and breathe."

She held her hands out, steady. "Here's the thing. I'm a little freaked out," she admitted quickly.

"I can see that," he replied.

"But," she went on to say, "my freak out is occurring because of your reaction." His brows drew close. "You're way too calm, Luke. If I had walked in and heard the same thing come from you, I'd want answers and explanations and when I'm around you, I'd wonder if you were thinking things about me."

"And you're freaked out because I'm not doing that?" he said knowingly.

"Yeah."

He sighed. "Well, if you remember correctly, I did question it. I asked why you said it."

"You showed curiosity. You didn't question it. I supplied answers on my own accord."

"And I was satisfied by those answers, so there was no reason to continue the discussion. There's no reason to continue _this _discussion."

She thought back. "My explanation was a little vague," she said suspiciously. "Some would say perfunctory. And you just accept that?"

"You said you were being honest."

"I was."

"So why are we having this conversation?" he asked calmly while shaking his head.

"I feel like you're just trying to spare me your real thoughts."

"I don't have any real thoughts."

Her eyes shifted. "Beee..cause you're made of plastic and supplied by Playtel??" she offered smartly.

He rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. The thoughts I gave you _are _my real thoughts."

She shook her head. "I can't be around you from now on knowing that you're thinking I'm a sex maniac."

"Oh, jeez," he muttered. "You remember when we sat down and you mentioned how this wasn't uncomfortable for you? What the hell happened between then and now?!"

She ignored him. "That's what you'll be thinking, right? That I want to do ungodly things to you?" she asked in near accusation.

"Boy oh boy. If craziness had a name..."

"Luke, I need you to be straight up with me. Let me know how you feel."

"Annoyed."

She pulled the side of his shirt, letting it go once he gave her his attention. "No, about what you heard," she answered seriously.

"What the hell do you want me to _say_? The only real question I had, you answered. You let me know that you and Sookie don't just sit around yapping about me. That's all I needed to know."

"And nothing else?"

"That's _all_," he said again. "This is your own paranoia you're battling with right now."

She set out to prove that wasn't true. "When I went in the diner earlier, you wouldn't look at me. That proves that you had issues with what I said."

"No, that showed I had confusion over what you had said. Whatever that was has been diffused. And you can't seem to accept that." He turned to her with a deep frown. "Why are you picking at this so much? You seemed totally fine two minutes ago."

Her mouth opened and for seconds, she didn't appear to know what to say. "Because," she finally got out. "I'm looking at this from another angle, and I would have been a lot more shocked than what you are if I had walked in and heard you say you wanted to have sex with _me_."

Luke's face turned instantly red. He looked away from her. "That's why you're you and I'm me," he answered. And when exactly had she gone from being _willing _to have sex with him to actually _wanting _to have sex with him? He didn't bother expressing that.

"I just can't handle it if you start treating me weird," she said quietly. "And I know you won't do it on purpose, so that's why I need your complete honesty in this. So there's no chance of it happening unintentionally."

"I'm _giving _you my complete honesty," he said meeting her eyes.

She took in his sincerity, and her eyes saddened. "I'm sorry I'm obsessing. This is just something that's supposed to happen in my own head, and you're not supposed to be here for it. But you kind of got caught up, and I'm sorry. I trust you. I trust your word, I swear to _coffee _I do, Luke. But just to appease this deranged, weird, antagonizing freak inside of me, if there's any chance--any teeny tiny chance that--"

"Lorelai. Stop." He paused as he watched her slowly close her mouth and sit back resignedly. "Just...drop it. There's no other way for me to say it's fine."

"A musical number would probably help."

He rolled his eyes. "I know you were just talking. I knew it when I heard it. I guess I'm flattered," he began with a shrug, "that you would pick me over whatever or whoever I was being compared to. But I know it was just words. I'm not _stupid_. So if it's okay with you, I want to take this whole damn thing off the table. No more discussing it."

"Okay," she said low.

"Okay," he said with finality. He was beyond annoyed at this point.

"But--"

"Oh _god_! Lorelai, please just leave it alone! I am now _begging _you to drop this. _Begging _you!"

"But Luke--"

"I'm leaving," he said as he stood up.

She watched him round the couch quickly. She knew he wouldn't leave like that. Not on such a bad note without another word. She knew that because she knew _him_. He would have stopped even if she didn't ask him to.

"Luke," she called apologetically.

With a heavy sigh, he turned and trudged back over to her. "Lorelai, let this go. I don't like to sit on stuff. I like to deal with it and move the hell on to something else!" he said with exasperation. "What do I have to do to get peace with this subject? Do you want me to threaten you? Take away coffee? Make the diner off limits? If I have to ban you from the diner, I will _ban you from the diner_ to make you stop talking about this," he said causing her to smile. He sounded so depleted. And she knew his words were meant to show her that.

"You don't have to go to that extreme," she said with greater calm. "I'll let it go."

"For good?" he asked hopefully. His eyes were wide and bright blue. He looked so cute with his childlike plead.

Lorelai chuckled. "Yes, Luke."

He rolled his eyes. "Thank you! Damn!" he exclaimed at the immense amount of effort that whole thing had taken.

She sighed and leaned over the couch, facing where he stood behind her. "You still going to take off?"

He looked at his watch. "Yeah. Unlike some people, I don't get to go home just to catch a movie on Cinemax in the middle of the day."

"Well, I'm going back in when it's over," she defended. She'd mentioned the movie to him when she had dropped in earlier. "Well, not _directly _after because I have to scoop Rory up," she said. "And probably not _immediately _after _that _because I have to drop in the diner and feed her. She'll probably be famished, and Rory comes before all. You know that. And then of course I have to stop by _Doose's_ to get some batteries..."

He nodded casually. "So, you'll be going into work tomorrow then?" he asked with certainty.

"Pretty much," she answered as she turned and flopped on her butt. "The day's been painfully slow anyway. Michel can handle it."

Luke turned to leave. "Yeah, just pray he doesn't scare away all your guests while you're sitting here lounging to whatever crap movie is getting ready to play."

Lorelai flipped on the television. "Thanks for adding that burst of sunshine to this drab day, Luke!" she yelled.

"No problem!" he responded before exiting.

She turned and looked at the door before dropping her head to the back of the couch. Her hands went to her face.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

"Have you spoken to him yet?" asked Sookie.

"I assume you mean Luke," Lorelai answered as she took a block of cheese from Sookie's bowl. Sookie continued to cut as she nodded, yes. "Sure have," she answered just before sticking it in her mouth. "Yesterday. After leaving here, I dropped by the diner and we met up at my house to talk."

Sookie glanced at her, continuing her work. "Why didn't you call me and tell me that?"

She shrugged. "Because there was nothing to tell. He wasn't even rattled by it. It was a conversation that could have taken place right here when it happened." She finished chewing. "It would have gone a little something like this: _'Oh my, Luke, I didn't see you standing there!'_..._'It's fine, Lorelai, what you just said means less than nothing.'_ The voice used for herself came out southern bell and Luke's sounded a lot like Gustav from 'Beauty and the Beast'. She went on. _'Really, Luke? Why, it was extremely inappropriate. Are you sure you can move past it?'_..._'Hell yes! What the hell kind of question is that?! Pretend I never showed up. Now carry on!'_ She slipped back into her normal tone. "Then, just sort of picture him walking back out the door laughing his head off at the whole idea."

Sookie chuckled. "Funny," she said casually. She let a moment go by. "Now, what really happened? How'd he react?"

Lorelai gave her a wide-eyed look. "I just told you!" she said. "That was his reaction. He didn't care."

"You have got to be kidding me."

"No. And he was just so casual about the whole thing, which of course ended with me looking like an idiot."

"Wow, I so can't picture him being casual about that."

"Well, it was definitely a sight." She took another piece of cheese. "I mean, I even tried to get him to really talk about it. At my expense and everything and he had nothing to say."

Sookie shook her head. "Well, just be grateful. That conversation could have been sooo much worse!"

"I know, that's what I was thinking," she confided, realizing she'd had that same thing go through her head.

"Just thank your lucky stars and put the issue to bed. You guys can move past it and pretend it never happened now."

Lorelai nodded, keeping her smile in place. "Yeah. I realized that too," she said. She mashed the block of cheese between her fingers.

Sookie shrugged. "I mean it was just a hypothetical game. He just walked in at the wrong time. Wonder how he would have reacted had he known that what he heard was an alternative to letting Kirk eat a cherry from your belly button," she said with a giggle.

Lorelai shook her head. "I don't know."

"Hey, why so quiet?" Sookie asked. Lorelai dropped the smashed piece of cheese and picked up another block from the bowl.

She smiled widely at Sookie before lowering her eyes to the cheese. "Just thinking about all the work I have to do today. I'm gonna be in here pretty late tonight," she commented. She punctured the cheese with her nail.

Sookie nodded, happy. She continued to cut. "You know, now that I think about it, the option of Kirk eating a cherry from your belly button isn't that bad. I started to substitute the option with whipped cream or strawberry syrup, but I just went with a cherry. It would have been quick and you wouldn't have even had to deal with him licking any part of your--Lorelai, why are you destroying all of my cheese blocks?" she asked as she pushed her reaching hand away.

There were four severed pieces lying in front of her already.

Lorelai looked down. "I'm sorry, Sook," she said with sincerity. She brushed the cheese into her palm and tossed it in the trash. "I'm gonna go get started on some work. I'll see you later on."

"Okay, Honey. Bye."

The door swung back at Sookie's wave.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai sat on the Gilmores' sofa in her own little world. She was there for Friday night family dinner.

As her father reached her usual martini to her, she snapped back to the present. All eyes were on her.

"Well, I suddenly know how it feels to be in a fish tank," she mumbled. "Why is everyone looking at me?" she asked aloud.

"Grandma called you twice," Rory leaned close and whispered.

"Oh, Heaven forbid! Two whole times?" she asked with feigned shock. She, of course, said this out of earshot of Emily. She looked at her out of the corner of her eye and saw that Emily was looking at her pointedly. "So, tell me, how do you think I should approach this? How angry do you think she is at this point?" she whispered to Rory.

Rory's eyes rested on her grandmother. "I don't know," she said back. "But our whispering probably isn't helping the situation."

"You're right," Lorelai said with a small nod. "Break." She moved away and smiled to her mother. Emily looked about ready to explode. Lorelai moved back in to Rory. "So, how was school today? Did you learn anything th--"

"Lorelai!"

Lorelai jumped. She knew it was coming, but Emily's tone still caused her heart to leap from her chest. "Sorry Mom, didn't see ya there," she replied lightly as she checked her lap for spills from her glass.

"Honestly, how rude can you _be_?"

"Is that rhetorical?" she asked looking at Rory and her dad with wide eyes. "Does anyone know?"

"You've been sitting there ignoring your company for several minutes. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you didn't have any manners at all," Emily scolded.

Lorelai held up a hand. "Okay, Mom, first of all, just to state a fact, you are not _my _company. I'm yours. Which makes me _a guest_. Hence you are delivering admonishments to _a guest in your home_. Now, what was the second part of your statement again?" she asked smartly.

Emily regarded her squarely. "If you are in the presence of other people, they are your _company_. It doesn't matter who's house you're in," she said in response.

"Well, personally, I don't thin--"

"Just make an effort to interact, Lorelai!" she yelled in frustration.

"Okay, okay! That's all you had to say. Calm down, Mrs. Lift."

Emily rolled her eyes tiredly before returning dignified. "Richard, tell Lorelai the news."

"What news?" Lorelai asked anxiously. "Are mood rings coming back?! No, wait, they are back." She looked at Rory for clarity. "Are they going out, then? Unless they're already out in which case they would be coming back in." She looked at her parents. "Man, I could really use one right now. I-I _think _I'm confused, but I don't really know if I'm not wearing the ring."

Emily looked at Lorelai a moment, then she turned to her husband. "Richard please. Before she uses the pause," she urged.

He straightened up in his seat. "Well, Lorelai, one of my client's buddies is Ralph Pennington. I'd known Ralph for quite some time through the club. We lost touch about a year ago, and through my client, I was able to catch up with him. Ralph got into the real estate game back in the late eighties, and it eventually came to be very profitable for him. He joined the club, and I got to know him through brandys. I had no _work _ties to him. I knew him socially."

"What was he doing before he got into real estate?"

Richard's eyes shifted. "I have no clue."

"Hm. And he was a close friend of yours?"

"Of course."

"Sounds like it," she replied simply. "So, there's a chance he could have been a plowman in the deep, deep south spending his days gnawing on straws of hay?"

"I seriously doubt that."

Lorelai nodded. "Hey, do you think that he knew Jed Clampett?"

"Who on earth is that?"

"He was a friend of mine, actually." Rory hit her leg but Lorelai kept going. "He was uh mountaineer. He barely kept his family fed," she said with sympathy. "And then one day he uh shooting at some food, and up through the ground came this..." She gestured with her hands "..bubbling crude." Rory chuckled. "It was awful," she said as she shook her head. Emily's eyes narrowed in question. "But next thing you know," Lorelai continued, "old Jed, well, he's a millionaire. His...uh kinfolk said 'Jed you better move away from there'. They said uh...what was it?...Uta-no, no, no _California_," she said in fake recognition, "was the place he needed to be, so we loaded up his truck and he moved to Beverly--"

"Is she quoting a song?" Richard asked confusedly.

Rory dropped her head. "Something like that," she answered as Lorelai sat looking from Richard to Emily innocently. "Go ahead, Grandpa. She won't interrupt again," she promised as she gave Lorelai's arm a squeeze. "Will you, Mom?"

"I wouldn't dare."

Richard shook his head and continued. "Where was I?" he asked no one in particular.

"Jed Clampett's friend..." Emily shot Lorelai a look and she zipped her mouth and held up a thumb.

"Oh, uh, Ralph, yes. Anyway, Ralph has a son." He looked at Emily, and they smiled at one another. "His name is Ed, and he's very well-bred considering--"

"--he didn't have money all his life," Lorelai finished for her dad.

Richard gave her a stern look. "As I was saying, he's a very distinguished fellow. Ed just moved from Virginia. He's very successful," he said as if that was a point that was about to be argued.

Emily nodded happily, adding, "he was in business with a lowlife who he found out had been skimming money from the top. And the way he found out just proved that the guy had no sense in that pea brain of his. He was standing in the lobby on the phone. _Openly _discussing it. Ed heard him first-hand. Can you believe that? He thought that the coast was clear apparently. I guess joke was on him," she added looking to Lorelai to share amusement. Lorelai said nothing.

Richard continued. "Ed quickly kicked him to the curb. He ended the partnership, closed the business and came here." He scooted up in his chair. "He's opening several restaurants in the area. So, he doesn't have a big corporate job, you see." Lorelai's eyes narrowed. "He's never been married, he doesn't have any children, and he's available."

There followed a silence. Eyes were on her.

She shrugged, feeling put on the spot. "Well, that's very nice," she replied when it seemed no one was going to say anything. Her eyes went down in thought then came back up to meet her parents'. "Now...about this Ed...?" They both perked up. Lorelai slid to the edge of her seat. "When he...came in the lobby and heard his partner on the phone...did he confront him?"

Emily and Richard exchanged looks.

"I guess he did," said Richard.

"And when he confronted him, I'm sure the guy tried to plead his case, right?"

Emily frowned. "What does that have to do with anything, Lorelai?"

"No, seriously, I'm sure he tried to plead his case. Right?" Everyone stared blankly. "Now, I've never met this Ed, but like any _normal _person would do, I'm sure Ed had a reaction...right? I mean, I know he didn't just _stand _there and let the guy go on and on without telling him what he seriously thought. Because that's what you do. You hear something, and you react to it. You don't just stand there and act like the whole thing didn't happen! I mean I actually commend Ed! Because he opened the door for discussion. He didn't just shut the guy down." She sat back in her chair and crossed her leg. "I like this Ed," she said with surety. "He sounds like my kinda guy." She nodded firmly at a staring Rory.

"So, it's all set!" Emily exclaimed with rising hope. "You'll date him?"

Lorelai scoffed. "Heck no! Ed sounds like an old man's name. I immediately picture toupee adhesive when I hear it. And besides, when have I ever let you guys set me up with _anyone_?" she asked. She calmly raised her glass to her lips.

Emily looked around with confusion.

Lorelai glanced at her watch. "Man, I'm starving. Anyone else hungry?" she asked to the quiet room. She felt like she was right back in that fish tank with gawking eyes looking in. "Guess I'm alone," she mumbled with a shrug.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

The time was four o'clock on a Tuesday. The diner was near empty. Lorelai walked inside and took a seat at the entirely free counter.

"Hey," Luke greeted as he came from the kitchen. "You finished at the inn already? It's early."

"Yeah, I know" she answered. "_Finished _everything early, so there wasn't much use in hanging around."

Luke nodded as he got her a diner cup and filled it with coffee. "So you're headed home after you leave here?"

She took a sip from the mug. "Planning to send me roses, Luke? He scoffed. "What's up with trying to pin down my location?"

"Just making conversation," he said in surrender. "I'll be sure to give you the cold shoulder the next time you're in if that's what you'd prefer."

"Can I get some nachos?"

He paused. "Guess that _is _what you'd prefer," he said aloud, realizing she hadn't bothered to comment on his statement.

She sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm just not really in the mood to do this," she said pointing between them.

"To do what?"

"Whatever you're questioning the absence of," she said dismissively as she pulled out her phone.

"What's with you?"

"Nothing's _with _me," she said as her fingers hit the buttons. "If you can grab my nachos, I'd appreciate it, though," she added.

He looked from her to her cell. "No cell phones in the diner," he said sternly. He said this like he would have said it had it been a stranger. "Go outside if you need to use it."

She looked up from her phone. "I'm checking a text message. I'm not _on _it. And what's with the tone, McGruff?"

"Nothing. I just shouldn't have to keep saying something that's written in perfect English on a big sign," he said hitting it with the back of his hand. "And the sign, if you'll notice, reads 'no cell phones allowed'. Period. It doesn't say at the bottom in small print 'but feel free to text'." He pointed to the door. "Out."

"No," she said with a frown.

"Excuse me?" he asked leaning in.

"You heard me. I said 'no'. How the hell does my texting affect anything or anybody in here? You're just being a jerk, and I'm not going anywhere."

"_I'm _being a jerk?" he asked amusedly.

"Yes! The way you're acting right now makes you a _jerk_! If you don't like it, then stop acting like that."

"Yeah, okay, make me the bad guy."

"You made yourself the bad guy," she mumbled. She snapped her phone shut and stood up. "Can you go get my food please? I'm leaving."

"No! If you want something to eat from here then you'll sit _here _and eat it."

She gasped. "You can't do that!"

"Watch me."

"Luke--you--you can't do that! That's like illegal or something. You can not _force _me to stay here!"

The three people in the diner were now tuned in to this shouting match.

"Two seconds ago, you were refusing to leave, now you're saying I'm forcing you stay? I'm not making you do anything. If you want to go, then go!"

"I'm not leaving without my food! I ordered some food, dammit, so go _get _it!" She closed her eyes, realizing how that sounded. "Please!" she ended up shouting.

Caesar came from the back. "Uh, Luke, is everything okay out here?"

"Everything is fine," he said tensely.

"Everything is _not _fine!"

Caesar grew confused. Lorelai was like the only person in town that Luke would break out smiles for. Now, they were causing a very disturbing scene. "Lorelai, what did you order? Maybe I can just--"

"No, you can't," Luke said looking squarely at Lorelai. "She can sit on that stool and order from _me _or she can go. There _are _no more options," he said stubbornly.

"Luke, I _swear _to god!"

His jaw clenched and his arms had folded defiantly some time ago. "What exactly is your problem?" he finally asked.

"Right now it's the lack of nachos in my hands!"

"And before then?"

She was growing more peeved. "You should have asked me that before you started flipping out over a damn cell phone!"

"I did ask you! You blew me off!"

"So, that's what this is about, Luke? I crush your feelings so you crush mine? Let me know if you decide to venture outside of Kindergarten, okay?"

"Apparently your feelings got crushed first. You came _in _here with attitude. What the hell did I do to _you_?"

She shook her head. "I'm not doing this with you."

"Yes, you are."

"Wh--_no_, I'm not!"

He backed up. "Oh, yes you are." This was said sternly, leaving no room for question. He kept his eyes on her. "Caesar watch the diner. Lorelai, _upstairs_." He turned and pushed the curtain aside hard, not even looking to see if she would come.

She looked at the curtain for seconds. Why the hell didn't she just leave? It wasn't like nachos were her life's number one joy. But here she remained--in this public display of whatever the hell this was. With a heavy sigh, she slammed her purse on the counter and headed to and up the stairs.

In the diner, there were crickets.

"Okay...um...this concludes the...lunch version of dinner theatre," Caesar said loudly. He clapped. "Everybody give it up to uh...our two actors." The customers only stared during his lonely hand clap. He cleared his throat and looked around for something to do. Spotting the coffee pot, he grabbed it and held it up. "Anybody need refills?"

--

Lorelai made it up the stairs, and the apartment door was open. She stepped inside.

"Close the door," Luke said as he came from behind the partition. She only looked at him as he walked across the floor. "Please?" he added as he walked to the kitchen.

She closed it.

"Care to tell me what the hell that was about?" he asked taking a seat at the table.

She still stood by the door. "Why were you just talking to me like I was anybody? I _really _did not appreciate that," she replied in graveness. She looked around like she was gathering words. "And that's the only reason I came up here. I wanted to let you know how unnecessary you were being over a dumb, stupid cell phone policy. If you're upset with me," she said pointing to herself, "you tell me that. You don't just start ragging on me and throwing your weight around."

He listened to her without saying a word. When she ended her temperamental spiel, he still sat there saying nothing.

She looked at him wide-eyed. His silence made her continue. "And I'm sorry I wasn't a bubble of liveliness when I came in today, but I'm entitled to have some bad days too. You can't hog 'em all. I don't have some kind of obligation to keep you entertained."

Still, he stared at her. "You done?" he asked tightly.

She was shifting a bit on her feet and suddenly she stopped. "Yes," she answered.

"Listen, I don't know what your problem is with me--"

"I don't have a pr--"

"Lorelai, I let you talk," he said with seriousness. He paused and there was quiet. "Anyway," he continued, "I don't know _what _your problem is with me, but if you don't tell me, then whatever is bugging you is going to keep bugging you. I can't fix something when I don't know what the hell to fix."

Lorelai took a breath. "I don't have a problem with you, Luke."

"Then, what's with the all the attitude?"

"I told you I was having a bad day."

"Everybody has bad days, even you. I get that. But even on your worst day, you've never acted like that. _Especially _not with me. I have the coffee, remember?" She stared at the ceiling like she was trying to keep her composure. Luke went on. "And it's just a little confusing because you were just here last night. Making my salt and pepper shakers dance across the countertop while asking me to sing a damn love ballad. You were fine when you left here."

"And now I'm _not_! I told you I'm having a bad day!" she yelled. "How many times do I have to say that?"

Luke stood up, pushing his chair away angrily. Her tone was extremely uncalled for, but he didn't meet it. "Whatever. You have your bad day. Since you're so set on letting it take over your whole mood, then you go right ahead and do that. Just don't come around me with it," he finished as he disappeared into his bedroom.

Lorelai stood there stubbornly, steam coming from her ears. It was true. She'd had a crappy day at the inn, and she was not in the best of moods by a long shot. But she had never been the one to pass her negative moods along to another person. Especially not Luke. He _did _have the coffee.

But she'd had something brewing in her for almost a week now. Something that didn't want to be glossed over. And she was seeing that her ability to look past it didn't come attached to moods such as this. She recognized that she was doing great damage to her friendship with Luke, and that wasn't okay.

She didn't move from her spot. She didn't say anything.

After several minutes, Luke came back out. He was trying to give her time to leave, hoping like hell that she would do that. He soon realized that she wasn't going anywhere, and he couldn't stay in there forever.

Lorelai watched him approach her. He didn't have a choice since she stood blocking the door. Stopping two feet in front of her, he looked at her in frustration. She wasn't even trying to move out of the way.

"I have something to say," she said. She sounded like she was about to make a speech.

"I don't care. I don't want to hear it," he remarked. "I have to go back to the diner, and you're blocking the door."

"It'll only take a second, so just shut up and listen." Her tone was harsh, and she knew even more, that she couldn't just let this thing build up inside of her. Her and Luke would never speak again.

"Shut _up_?" he asked. "Okay, you know what--"

"Luke, please. Just listen to me for a second." She waited for him to comply and become receptive. He clenched his jaw tight and folded his arms. That was the best she was going to get. "I've been short with you today, and I'm sorry. I said it wasn't you. But it is. It's _completely _you. I'm pissed with you or _at you _or something, and the fact that this day has been horrible for me makes me really unable to hide that."

"What did I do?!" he exclaimed with genuine confusion. "I haven't done anything to you."

She stared at him for few seconds before she burst out of the gate talking a mile a minute. "Look, this is gonna sound weird. And to be honest, _I don't care_. Because this has been bothering me, and it's _your _fault because you should have just--whatever--I don't know what you should have done, but you could have prevented it. And even though this isn't that huge, even though it's a small, tiny issue that barely even matters, this is the root of my _very large damn problem_. Because we were there, Luke. We were sitting there, and the opportunity was there, and _everything _was there. And we were there and we were talking and sitting and talking and not _really _talking because _you would not talk_! But _I _was talking. Boy, was _I _talking! And of all the opportunities in the world that have ever arose, that was the biggest! And now it's gone and we're _stuck_! For the rest of our lives, we're _stuck_ in this place that's so confusing! And all of this rests on your shoulders. Not mine. Because I really don't care. Seriously don't care! If Care was a country, I wouldn't even be able to find it on a map. Mainly because_ I don't care_!"

Luke's anger had melted away completely with her rant. It was replaced with so much confusion, he didn't even where to start asking questions. He settled on the default. "What the _hell _are you talking about?!"

She tossed her hands out. "Last Wednesday, Luke! Last Wednesday!" came her boisterous response.

He thought back, realizing that was the day that he had come to the inn to fix her rail. The day he'd walked in on her and Sookie's conversation. "What about it?" he asked still confused. "We talked about that."

"We didn't talk about anything." She stepped back until she hit the door, then she settled against it tiredly. "Luke, you heard me discussing sex. _Sex_. And we didn't talk about _anything_," she stressed.

"Lorelai, I know in your head, you are coming off loud and clear, but to me, you aren't making any sense whatsoever. We _did _talk. Do you not remember me coming to your house and doing that?"

"Luke, jeez, do I have to spell it out for you?"

"Yes!"

She rolled her eyes. She didn't expect an actual answer. Her words were slow, deliberate, and laced with annoyance. "You walked in at the precise moment I admitted I wanted to have sex with you. I invited you over to my house, and it was uncomfortable, and _weird_, and I didn't really want to talk about it, no. But in the back of mind...in the_ far back regions _of my mind, I just knew...that was the moment that all our cards would get laid out."

Luke's mind wandered back to that day.

She went on. "All I'm saying is you killed a conversation that needed to take place. You and I just...we needed that conversation, Luke." She stared at him. "When will we get another opportunity like that again?" He lowered his eyes. "I don't understand how you can hear me say something like that and not care enough to really drill me about it. I would have drilled you. That door would have been forced open because _I _would have done that."

Luke responded quietly to the part of her statement his mind rested on. "You didn't say you wanted to have sex with me. You said you _would_. It sounded like you guys were playing a game, so you chose that option over something else. For all I know, I could have been pitted against you and Gypsy."

"It was between you and Kirk."

"See. Figured it was something like that. That's why I--"

"It was either have sex with you or let Kirk eat a cherry out of my belly button." There was silence. "A stupid cherry. Analyze that." Luke stared at her. "There is no excuse why I should be discussing this with you a week after we sat down to talk about it. This is all stuff that should have been said last Wednesday. You should have asked me these questions, Luke. You didn't want to know."

He sounded tired. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You know what it means."

She stared at him, and he lifted his eyes to her as well. Contact was held for close to ten seconds before Luke's gaze fell. "I don't know what you want me to say."

Lorelai shook her head and placed her hand on the knob. "Whatever. Just forget it." She pulled the door open. "I'll see you," she said quietly.

"Lorelai."

The door closed.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

When Lorelai had made it downstairs into the diner, it seemed that half the town was present. Word spread fast in Stars Hollow, and Lorelai wasn't shocked to see the turn-out. She and Luke had argued then had taken it upstairs. She didn't have to ask questions to know how that had appeared.

Wide, eager eyes met her instantly. Miss Patty stood up front, looking like the leader of the pack, but Lorelai moved past everyone, offering apologies for not wanting to be bothered.

They mumbled dejectedly, then dispersed, knowing enough not to still be standing there when Luke came down.

By the time Lorelai made it to her house, she didn't feel real at all.

She had thoughts circling around recent behaviors. The things she had said to Luke began playback, and she wondered fruitlessly where all of that apprehension had risen from.

The feeling she had was not one to rejoice. Not only had she laid into Luke, but she had done it unceremoniously, and now what she was left with was embarrassment.

Her head low, she walked straight to the phone and picked it up. She dialed seven digits and put the receiver to her ear. Her eyes squeezed shut when it was answered. She didn't really expect it to be.

"Yeah?"

She held her breath, frozen.

"Yeah?" the voice said again with agitation.

Lorelai took a deep breath and smiled bright. "Hi!"

There was a small silence. "_Hi _to you too."

She felt nauseous. "So...what-cha doin'?"

A distrustful pause followed, then a tired sounding, "Lorelai..."

Lorelai shook her head. "No, Luke, just answer the question. I'm bringing us back to normal here. I repeat, _'what-cha doin'_'?"

"I'm currently trying to figure out if you've been diagnosed."

"No, not yet," she answered as if it was something that was in her future.

He sighed. "Too bad. At least then you'd have an excuse."

Lorelai's eyes went narrow as she looked at the phone. "No," she answered after a moment. "I have no excuses. But if you'd like to hear it, I _do _have an awesome idea that I'd like to share with you."

"Really?" he asked just to fill a silence.

"Yes. My idea is for you and I--hold onto your socks--" She paused, "you holdin' em?"

"Sure."

"I'd like for you and I...to pretend the past twenty minutes just didn't happen." She smiled. "How does that sound to you?"

"It sounds like you've stepped outside of reality."

Her body dropped to the sofa, and she covered her eyes with her hand. "Luke," she said with plead.

"Lorelai, I couldn't do that even if I wanted to."

Lorelai realized, unequivocally, that this day was going down as the worst in history. "You don't know that unless you try," she said with sadness. She needed to know this could be forgotten.

"Yes, I do." He paused. "Look, we'll figure something out, I guess," he answered. "But I have to go. I'll see you later."

She nodded. "Okay," she mumbled. "Bye...I guess."

"Yeah. Bye." The line went dead. Lorelai turned her phone off and dropped it to the couch.

"Damn it," she whispered as she stood and went upstairs.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai wasn't sure how long she lay stretched out on her bed, but she arose when she heard a knock on the front door. There followed maniacal ringing of her doorbell. It took her seconds to get to the door, and the ringing continued the whole time.

She pulled the door open, her eyes resembling that of a Tarsier.

As soon as the inside of her house came into view, Luke, the maniacal ringer, stepped inside and closed the door back.

Lorelai backed up, looking at him as if he'd walked in the shower with her. "Are you okay?" she asked.

His eyes went to the door before he was scurrying over to the window and peering outside. "I think the coast is clear."

Lorelai walked from the foyer, over to where he stood. "Are you on the run from the police or something?"

He looked for a few more seconds before he turned to her with a contented sigh. "No. Just this nosy ass town," he said as he walked around her. "They've been hanging outside the diner in groups for the past hour. I had to sneak out the back."

Lorelai laughed. "You what?"

He looked at her as if she was crazy for not understanding what he'd meant. "I pretended to go upstairs, then I _snuck _out the back of the diner."

"Why'd you have to sneak?" she asked with greater confusion.

He sighed with exhaustion. "Because I had to come over here and talk to you and had they known I was coming over here, they would have followed me like I was campaigning for crazy." He looked out the window again. "There'd be a line backed down your driveway."

Lorelai's focus went to one thing. "Talk to me about what?"

"Is that somebody's head peaking around that tree?" he asked suspiciously.

"Luke, talk to me about what?"

"No," he answered still curious. He looked harder. "It did kind of seem like--"

"Luke!"

He jumped and faced her. "Jeez! What?!"

Her voice calmed. "What did you come to talk to me about?"

His hand laid across his chest. "Give me a heart attack, why don't ya," he mumbled in complaint. He frowned at her and moved toward the couch. "Take a seat, I've got something to say," he said gruffly.

Lorelai looked at the couch before walking over impatiently. He still stood so she didn't bother sitting down. "Okay, what do you have to say?" she asked anxiously.

He took a breath, and his hand ran over his hat. "Stuff," he answered with nervousness. Lorelai's eyes widened, requesting him to continue. He sat down so she did too. "Earlier," he began, "you were upset." She nodded. "You've been upset for a week," he assumed. She made no gestures, and he clarified. "You've been _hiding _it, but you've been upset," he said again. She looked off to the side.

Luke went on. "All that stuff you said in my apartment, why the hell didn't you just say all of that stuff the day we sat down to talk?"

Her eyes bugged. "What exactly was I supposed to _say_?"

He shrugged, searching for an answer. "Whatever you were waiting for me to initiate."

She shook her head. "Luke, I didn't know at the time that's what I wanted," she said honestly. "It was just a feeling I had that told me something else needed to be said. All that other stuff didn't become clear until later," she said looking at him. "But I was pushing and pushing and begging you to say something and you sat there like a lump on log."

"If you didn't know, how the hell did you expect me to know?"

"I didn't expect you to know anything! I just needed you to question what I had said. To question something!" She balled her hands into fists. "I mean, damn this can _not _be all in my head! Do you not _like _me; are you not attracted to me?!"

"Of course I am!" he said without thinking.

Lorelai's chest heaved from her exclaim. She stared at him for moments before her eyes went off. "Okay," she said, satisfied. "That's good."

"Okay," he said still with agitation.

"Okay," she said again after several seconds.

He nodded, looking down in his lap. "Yeah."

Lorelai looked at him, then blinked attention elsewhere. A distant clock could be heard, just ticking away. She returned her eyes to him, smiling reluctantly. "I forgot what I was talking about," she admitted.

The corner of Luke's mouth turned up, and he glanced at her. "Me too," he followed.

She chuckled, and he shook his head, fighting back his smile.

For a moment, tension left the room. They shared that moment with delight. As it faded, there followed a silence that was little more inviting.

Lorelai lowered her gaze to her fingers and linked them over and over. She spoke quietly. "If you find me attractive, then why did you brush off this whole thing?"

"Because you did," he answered.

"That's too easy," she said denying his answer.

"But it's true. It took two people, Lorelai. You _and _me, not just me. Why is it you expected me to take this huge leap when you didn't feel strongly enough to take it?"

"Because it wouldn't have been a leap for you. It would have been _questions_. Ones that were totally called for, considering the circumstance. That would have led to discussion, which would have led to shattered walls, which would have led to...whatever."

He took that in. "And you wanted that 'whatever'?" he asked testingly.

"I wanted the discussion."

"...which was a means to an end, that end being...the 'whatever'. Right?"

"Luke."

"No, you wanted me to press you last week. That's what this whole thing is about," he answered. "So, answer me about this. What exactly did you want from that discussion?"

"I don't know."

"You do know. You've been thinking about it for a week, getting _pissed _about it for a week. What'd you want?"

"I just--I wanted-- Ultimately, I wanted us to be clear...about stuff."

"Be clear now. What did you want to happen?" he asked deliberately.

She rolled her eyes. "I wanted you to admit you care about me," she finally spit out.

He kept up the spitfire questions. "Why?"

"Because. Because I know you do," she said with quiet confidence.

He smirked. "And?"

"And...I probably would have said something...along the lines of...'I have feelings for you'," she said looking down.

"Really?"

Her head went up fast. "Yes. And had you applied a little pressure, that would have been squeezed out last _week_. You could have seen me become bashful and probably even speechless as it shot out of my mouth." She shrugged. "Too bad you missed that," she said trying to make light of what she'd just revealed.

He smiled. "And you mentioned sex. Did you mean what you said?"

"_Finished _answering questions now," she announced.

Luke shook his head. "Nope, this is why you stayed angry with me for a week. Because I didn't question. I don't wanna go through another week," he said using her words against her. "Now," he said, smiling wider at her annoyance. "Did you mean what you said?" he repeated.

"What do you think?" she asked rhetorically.

He shrugged. "I _think _I'm missing a straight answer."

Lorelai sighed with aggravation. "Well, it comes with the package, so figure it out."

"I'm a little slow. What package are you referring to?"

Lorelai eyed him, and he chuckled. "The package of you and me, dammit. Now, please spare me anymore of these questions."

He nodded. "One more question."

She growled. "What, Luke?! What! For the love of _all _that is pure and pretty, _what _do you want now?"

He gestured. "Can you come here?" he asked softly.

Lorelai's smile was slow and easy, soon turning to a full fledged grin, which she still tried to conceal. "No," she answered defiantly.

"Come here," he urged even quieter.

She turned her eyes on him, and her intractibility waned. "You know, just because you call, it doesn't mean I'm going to come," she said distractedly.

"Is that right?" he asked as he watched her draw nearer to him. "Well, if you don't come when I call, then I have to think of another way to make you..." Lorelai's expression took on shock, and Luke smiled, "...approach," he ended.

"Never thought I'd see the day you'd work blue." She came to sit right next to him. She looked down to where their knees touched then back into his eyes. This was a new proximity.

He looked to her cheek just before his hand went there. "And I never thought I'd ever see _this day_," he said quietly. He seemed in awe of how her skin felt beneath his palm.

Lorelai tried to regulate her breathing, but Luke was making that harder and harder to do. As she looked at him, she became increasingly nervous. "Exactly how high a-are your expectations?" she asked reading the answer in his gaze. She found it intimidating.

He leaned in. "They're pretty high," he whispered just as he kissed her lips. Lorelai's breathing halted, and he pulled away. When he kissed her again, she knew that it hadn't been a mistake. She'd felt that tingle down to her toes, and at his second kiss, it shot right back down there. Her hands went to his face, and she held him in place to prevent that teasing separation.

His tongue softly parted her lips, and Lorelai whimpered at the feeling.

They took the kiss deep and got lost in it. It was dizzying. Spinning around and falling out in a blissful stupor kind of dizzying. The expectations that she feared would not be met were surpassed and looked back upon with laughter. They took the new reality and sent it zooming high into space atmosphere.

As the kissing intensified, Lorelai leaned into him. Luke lay back slowly on the couch, and their lips separated as Lorelai tried to slide to a more comfortable position. Her eyes went to her clock and she leaned down and kissed Luke deeply before pulling away from his mouth. Her words were breathy. "Rory's going to be home in a half hour but--" She noticed him lose some of his steam at the mention of her daughter in such an intimate moment. She smiled at that slight retraction but continued on, "--but if you're game, then I definitely am. We'd just have to kind of--" Her voice faded as she realized how cheap the experience was sounding.

Luke finished for her with a brow lift. "--kind of..._hurry up_," he insinuated problematically.

She smiled. "I was gonna say, 'keep an eye out'." She laughed as Luke looked at her like she was insane.

He rolled his eyes and moved to the side as he gently pushed her away. She sat up, allowing him to. "I'm glad you find that so amusing," he muttered. "But I think I'm good. This isn't a nascar race, and I'm not rushing through it."

She rubbed his thigh. She didn't want him to think she didn't care about this. "I know. This is important to me too," she said seriously. "I want us to be able to take our time..." Her hand rose, "...but at the same rate..."

Luke dropped his attention to her rising hand before he was looking back in her cheesing face. "What is it that you think you're doing?"

"Pressing my luck."

He shook his head, not bothering to stop her slow traveling hand. "Your luck just ran out. I think I just heard the jeep pull up."

Lorelai yanked her hand away and looked to the door like she could see into the yard. She heard Luke laugh and she returned focus to him. "Were you joking? Was that supposed to be funny?" she asked.

His amusement faded. "No, but it was." She rolled her eyes at him and took a seat on her side of the couch. He stood up and grabbed her waist, pulling her up as well. She went against him. "Look, I have to get back to the diner anyway."

She nodded. "I understand," she said quietly.

"But," He wrapped her waist, "there will be a day and a time without family distractions and diner duties and town surveillance..." Lorelai tilted her head knowingly, "Okay, maybe not the last one," he corrected. They smiled. "But there will be another opportunity for this. A better one. Preferably after a respectable dinner date."

"Where we'll get dressed up and go out?" she asked hopefully.

He considered that. "Or we'll get dressed down and I'll cook for you at my place."

Her lips curled favorably. "Your place?" He nodded. "Soon?" Again, he nodded. "Tonight?" He shook his head, smiling. Lorelai laughed, picking up on his genuine discomfort with knowing the town would still be staking out his diner. It was already close to 6. "Um, tomorrow night?" she asked instead. He relaxed with that answer, then nodded. She grinned. "Should I bring a toothbrush?"

"Nope, I have plenty of extras for occasions such as this," he teased.

She leaned in and pressed her lips to his before pulling away with one more soft peck. "You better be kidding," she finally said, knowing he was.

He smiled and pecked her lips again. "I better get going," he said softly as he moved around her. She nodded as she turned and followed him to the door.

"Good talk," she said to his back.

He laughed. "Yeah, good talk," he agreed.

Just as he reached for the door, it opened. Rory came inside.

She appeared shocked to see faces directly upon entering. She smiled as it passed. "Hey Luke," she greeted. "Bye Luke," she said noticing he was about to leave. He smiled.

"See ya, Rory."

Rory quickly kissed her mother's cheek. "Hey Mom. Home early," she said as she disappeared around the corner.

Lorelai's eyes went to Luke and she smiled. "Yeah Honey," she yelled to Rory. "Perfect timing."

Her smile brightened as Luke rolled his eyes and stepped over the threshold. "You are very welcome," he leaned in and said before he closed the door behind him.

She took a deep breath and turned. "_Roooooory_," she sang. "How'd you like to hear about the time Luke saved you from a lifetime's worth of therapy, hm?"

**-The End-**

Liked it? I am very satisified with the way it turned out, considering how _frustrated _I kept getting while writing it. It just wouldn't cooperate. I knew where I wanted to go, but it wasn't moving easily. If only you guys could see the story b4 I read it back and said OUT LOUD 'oh HELL no!' and changed big chunks.

hopefully this doesn't get feedback like 'omg, what was the original version?!' haha! that would be so mean. Anyway, review please!


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